I am home from a week in Virginia with Scott and the kids. It was a nice, relaxing week... I think we all had a great time. It's definitely a rare opportunity for us to have Scott to ourselves for that much time.

Our unit was a three-room deal with a sleeping capacity of ten. Suffice to say, we all had a bed of some sorts to sleep on. Better still, there were three bathrooms and three televisions! I watched HGTV whenever I got the chance (which was often), and have returned home with a renewed sense of urgency to get this place cleaned up and organized. All those home improvement shows are inspiring!

Speaking of inspiration, I took a trip down to the shop this afternoon, trying to find some hope. Last time I was inspired to ask a friend if she wanted to do something there. This time I decided I should open a sort of Maine-Made conglomeration, with all those people who had suggestions from the beginning bringing in their goods to sell. Sort of a full-time flea market and farmer's market, indoors. I'll let you know what I think of next time I head down there.

The reason I went was for our builder friend, Joe, to take a look at it and tell us what it would take to re-convert it to a residential space. He hates the idea of undoing all his other (fairly recent) work, and suggested I at least put a sign in the window FOR RENT... as a retail space, he thinks it may work. I think he (like most of my good friends) just wants me to succeed at whatever it is I wanted to do there originally, and not have to give up so early in the game. I must say, every time I go down, I think how cool it would be to actually do something there. What's stopping me!?

Anyway, vacation is clearly over, and I'm right back into the thick of it now. I've got PTA projects up the wazoo (ouch!), the kids are back at school, Molly's already been to the doctor's office, the laundry is piled sky-high, the car is dirty again, the yard needs attention, the garden needs work... ah yes, did I say it's good to be home!? Well, it's nice to know that all the work that needs to be done is mine! I am so happy to have this place, and even though it comes with such a hefty sense of responsibility, I am grateful to have a home full of happy, healthy kids. Life is good, indeed.

Any suggestions on what to do with my husband and kids for the next week of vacation?

Fast Break

OK, so my first real attempt at sacrificing for Lent ended early, but I still consider it a decent success.

I have had plenty of time to consider my own "sacrifice" (giving up eating out?... are you serious?), comparing it to the sacrifice of Christ. There is no comparison, really. I had to plan ahead, think things through, and work around my eating routine. For me, things went fairly smoothly over all. Nothing compared to giving up your life in an effort to save the souls of all humanity.

Last Thursday came the "friends" birthday party of my nine year old son. I intended to grab a couple frozen pizzas at Walmart while I was out shopping for party favors. I forgot. By the time I remembered, kids were piling off the bus, ready to pah-tay. I've discovered how easy it is for my loved-ones to justify any little discrepency in my original plans... "oh, pizza delivery isn't eating out... you'll all be eating it here at home!" Yeah, whatever. I ordered the pizzas and never looked back.

This past weekend, I chaperoned a Girl Scout trip to Massachusetts with Kate's troop. I knew there was going to be a lot of eating out, so I planned accordingly... I packed crackers, peanut butter, nuts, snacks, a water jug. And, I ate out every chance I got. Well, the fast had already been broken.

So, here's the deal. I figure four weeks is almost as good as five. It's four more than I've ever lasted before! And I have become keenly aware of how eating out affects my life in so many ways... This past month I've stayed home more than ever, knowing I can't just grab something to eat while we're out running errands. Also, because we've had more home-cooked suppers, I've had to rely more on the kids to help out in the kitchen... and now my kitchen looks better than ever!

I wish I had kept better records of the times I've wanted to eat out, just to know if I've actually saved any money. And, just for the record, I don't think I've necessarily lost any weight, so maybe there's a chance that at least my eating out habits are relatively healthy (or contrariwise, my eating in habits are equally unhealthy). Anyway, it was a learning experience for me, and you'll be the first to know if it permanently affects the way I live my life.